Food and Life TV - HIATUS
by Fae 206
Summary: Whilst still maintaining his number one spot and living with his girlfriend Kyoko, Ren is offered a job travelling to different parts of Japan in a road trip documentary. One problem though is that Ren is terminally ill with only a few people knowing this. When he finds out his costar for the project is Kuu Hizuri, will things turn worse or can Kuu make it better for his son?
1. Chapter 1 - The Setup

**AN:** Believe it or not, this particular Skip Beat idea has been floating around my brain for a few months now. I hope that you guys enjoy it 😊 This chapter is a little shorter than others will be.

 **Food and Life TV**

 **Chapter One – The Setup**

It seemed rather unfair actually. After having fallen in love with Ren when she was sixteen and starting to date Kuon when she was eighteen, he had been diagnosed with an illness that she would never wish upon even her most hated enemies. She knew that he still wanted to work but she was worried about what that might mean for him health wise. She had wanted a beautiful life with him and now he was acting distant with her again.

As he got out of the bath, she walked towards him and wrapped her arms around him despite him only wearing a robe. Since they had started living together she had gotten used to his body. She hadn't yet become accustomed to the weight loss that he had gone through.

"Are you sure that you want to do this?" she asked as she let her hand go through his thinning hair. "I mean, I know that they said that you could stop at the hospital without the other man knowing but Kuon, this isn't something that's usually…"

"I'm fine," Kuon whispered, "This is a project that I can be proud of. It might be the last one of my acting career."

Kyoko felt her heart beat painfully in her chest, twisting as it did so. She knew that only she and the president knew about his illness and he had made the president promise that he would let Kuon tell his parents. Yashiro had suspicions but Kyoko knew that Kuon hadn't told anybody else.

"You promise me that you'll go to the doctor if anything hurts or you're worried about anything," she said with a hand to her hip. Kuon looked to her as he nodded and then managed to get the medical files into a folder. He sighed.

"I'll be back tonight," he told her and Kyoko nodded.

"But you're leaving tomorrow morning," she commented, "and you don't even know who you're working with. What if it's someone like Shotaro?" she asked him and Kuon chuckled.

"I don't think that it would be," he told her before kissing the top of her head and she put a hand to his chest before softly pressing her cheek to his chest. She didn't want for him to leave but this program would focus on a road trip around Japan and she wanted him to experience everything that he could. She knew that if he were given a longer life expectancy that in the future they would get engaged and then get married. They'd just have to enjoy what little time together that they had.

…..

…..

Ren drove by himself to the studio. He didn't know who he would be meeting but this project was supposed to take six weeks and the most he wanted was to have an empathetic and understanding costar who didn't mind him having to check in with a doctor. The actor was supposed to be a senior actor and someone well respected and Ren was hoping that he wouldn't be a diva with an ego problem.

As he got to the studio and to the room to meet with the producer, he checked his phone. He was earlier than expected and knocked on the door. The producer opened it and grinned.

"Good morning, Tsuruga-san. I wasn't sure which one of you would be first," he stated and Ren laughed weakly. He wasn't sure that he should be doing it but it seemed fun and it felt better than just waiting for doctors appointments and therapies and hopefully an operation if his condition got a little better.

Ren bowed, "I'm glad that I'm early," he said with a smile. "Are we expecting _him_ soon?"

"Very soon," the producer said before coughing and Ren tilted his head to the side. "I'm sorry to trouble you like this, Tsuruga-san," he said as Ren hummed, "but would you mind getting me a bottle of water. I forgot to bring one with me."

"Of course," Ren nodded before walking out, knowing where he could purchase things like this. He walked off not knowing that the other star would arrive at the room without knowing about Ren's presence.

As the producer waited, he heard another knock on the door and excitedly jumped up to greet the mega star. As he opened the door he saw the still cool and attractive Kuu Hizuri with a leather jacket, designer clothes, and sunglasses on. His blond hair was pushed back as if he had just left the set of a modelling shoot. "Hizuri-san, it's an honor to meet with you," he said and Kuu removed his sunglasses before bowing as well.

Kuu had been told that he had been paired up with a younger actor so that they could get different perspectives on what was going on within the areas they'd be travelling to. He was eager to meet someone new in the industry but whereas he was expecting a Koga or a Taira, he wasn't expecting to be working with Ren.

"So, is he here? My costar?" he asked and the producer smiled.

"I asked him to fetch me a bottle of water," he said before gesturing to a chair in the room. "If you wanted to take a seat, when he returns, I'll fill both of you in on the plans for the show," he told him and Kuu nodded before sitting down. He heard the door open again and then turned around to see his son staring at him with wide eyes. "Ah, so you're a Kuu fan too, Tsuruga-san," he said as Kuu turned to him but avoided eye contact.

He was secretly thrilled that he'd be getting to do this with his son but he wondered how Kuon was feeling at this moment.

"I'm sorry, I might have to rethink this," Ren said as he put the water bottle in front of the producer.

"What?" the producer asked as Kuu sighed with a sad smile. "Is this about your illness?" he asked and Kuu's eyes snapped open for a moment but his back was turned to the producer and he was looking at the ground. That word wasn't one that came to mind.

"Yeah, a little," Ren said weakly feeling guilty that he hadn't informed his own parents.

"What…kind of illness?" Kuu said slowly and Ren stared at him. He'd get the information from Lory or Kyoko anyway. Was it really worth lying to him? Ren took a deep breath in before he turned to the side feeling guilty. He had only told the producer on paper and that's because it was necessary for him to take the role. Kyoko didn't know that a third party knew.

"Just over a month ago, I had a doctor's appointment and they told me that I had a rare form of…brain cancer," he said as he saw Kuu's eyes widen even more as if he was that dog with eyes as big as saucers. Kuu looked at him in shock and Ren turned to the side. He should have told his dad weeks ago.

"However, Ren has let me know that he has it under control," he said as Kuu nodded shakily, "He might have to take some time at doctor's appointments if he feels bad. I know that you'll be respectful of this," he told Kuu. He saw the older actor turn incredibly pale and Ren attempted to avoid eye contact with him. The producer didn't know about their link. He thought that it was a senior actor learning that the top actor in Japan had a rare illness, he didn't know that it was a father being told that his son was terminally ill.

"Yes," Kuu nodded before looking away, "I'm sorry to hear that Tsuruga-san," he said weakly before standing up. "I'm sorry, I need a moment to process this." He turned and walked out and Ren sighed, looking after him. He should have told his dad before this moment happened.

"Should he not have known?" the producer asked and Ren shook his head, feeling extremely guilty.

"No. It's best that he knows," he whispered and then looked towards the door. "I think maybe another explanation is needed. I hope to return with him soon," he said and walked out of the room. He looked down the hallway and saw Kuu sitting on a bench staring at the ground as if _he_ were the one who had been told about this happening to.

Ren walked over to him and Kuu could only stare at his shoes. "I would have told you," he said as he looked side to side to make sure that nobody could hear the conversation. "I felt that I had six months to tell you," he said again and Kuu continued to stare at his shoes.

"That's the life expectancy they told you?" Kuu asked as he felt unable to meet his son's eyes. He felt that he was kicked numerous times in the gut. "Six months?"

"Unless they can perform an operation, yes" Ren nodded and Kuu put a hand over his stomach. This wasn't how he should find out. "Do you think we should do this show together?" he asked and Kuu sat there silently.

"You promise me that you'll go and see a doctor if anything feels strange?" he asked.

"Yes," he nodded and Kuu continued to look away from him.

"And if I'm worried about you, I can decide to stop the show even if only a few episodes have been filmed?" he asked and Ren once again agreed. Kuu nodded as he stood up, his entire body pale and uneasy. Kuon knew that he wanted to stop but this project might be his last one in the acting world and at least he'd get to spend some time with his hero.

 **End of Chapter One**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**


	2. Chapter 2 - Getting to Point A

**Chapter Two – Getting to Point A**

Kuu stared at the website that he was looking at and his eyes grew wider as he read over one line: _This rare form of brain cancer is unable to be cured and patients will usually develop disabilities towards the end of their lives._

He tried to steady himself as he read it over again and again. He pushed a hand through his hair with tears in his eyes. He wanted to ignore it, make it so that he had never been told that his son was sick but there it was, that haunting word: _uncurable_. The disabilities was also something difficult to stomach but the fact that this meant that Kuon was going to die and that he knew he was going to die hurt him.

He should have been called and informed of this even if there was nothing that he could have done. His son was dying, his son would die and he could do nothing as his father to help him. Money didn't even seem to be an option, Kuu _had_ money but he couldn't use any of it to help his son. Kuu didn't know why he had entered the search when he was so pained still but when he snapped back to reality, he realized that he had searched for funeral costs.

There was some land next to Kuu's mother. Kuon's grandmother would help him in the afterlife, right? With a very shaky hand, Kuu bought the land that wasn't already purchased – he felt that this had been by his father – and as he saw the transaction completed he shivered. He wrapped an arm around himself and choked as he sobbed loudly. He then purchased the plot right next to the one he had just bought. He didn't have to use it. Julie could remarry and get put with her new family but he wouldn't forgive himself if he didn't give her the option on his death bed.

He fell quiet before looking at the minibar in the hotel room and broke down sobbing. He put the computer aside. He would have wanted for Kuon to come clean to Julie but he wasn't sure if it was going to happen. Kuu called his wife.

"Hey, do you know what time it is, honey?" Julie asked with a huge yawn and Kuu stared at the clock, maybe he should have checked it but this was more important. He hated to tell her that she couldn't come, they were still trying to protect Kuon.

"I just bought a burial plot," Kuu said in a shaky voice and Julie's voice could be heard clearer.

"Darling, who died?" she asked which was a natural question, "I know that your cousin is unmarried. Did she -"

"Kuon," Kuu said and Julie seemed to enter a panic attack as in her mind, her husband was telling her that their little boy was dead. "He's aliv—"

"You scared me half to dea-" Julie cut him off but Kuu shook his head. There was more to this.

"He's got this uncurable form of brain cancer," Kuu told her and Julie started panicking again. "I just learned out today. I thought that if I bought some land next to my mother's grave that she'd take care of him. He might have less than a year left."

"Kuu Hizuri," Julie said stubbornly, trying to work through her anxiety, "You don't get to scare me like this. My baby is fine. He's healthy. He's safe. He's going to be okay," she told him and Kuu felt himself tense up. Maybe it would have been best were he to have not said anything. "You tell me that my baby will be fine."

"He's sick, Jules," Kuu tried to confirm. "He's really sick, doctors visit and everything."

Julie was silent for a while before she spoke slowly, "I need to see him. I need to see him and make sure he knows that we love him," she said sadly and Kuu sighed. He couldn't stop her and he wouldn't. Their little boy that they had waited so long to welcome back to their life was going to die at a young age. This wasn't something that anyone would be able to stop her from doing.

…..

…..

Kyoko still wasn't sure why she was trying to be so okay with Kuon going. She still wanted to have them fight for a cure for his health problems. There had to be something that they could do but it was as if Kuon had made his peace with it and it seemed as if he was okay dying with the name Ren Tsuruga. People would know his family connection to Kuu when they were memorializing him, wouldn't they?

Kyoko heard the door open and she sniffed back her tears. She quickly organized the documents and went to the front door. She smiled as Kuon came back. "How was it? How was your meeting? Did you meet the other actor?"

"I met the other actor," Kuon told her in a hollow voice and Kyoko didn't really understand.

She wanted to ask if it was somebody that she knew, maybe it was one of the people who had been in the Dark Moon family but that she hadn't felt a right to talk to. She had only been acting a number of months at that point, these men had been there for decades. Still, maybe it was somebody who had said something negative about Ren and that was going to cause him stress.

"Oh," she said and he looked at her confused. "If you don't want to work with them then I'm sure that -"

"Hizuri Kuu," Kuon told her and Kyoko froze. She tried to hide the smile of relief that was slipping onto her face. This was perfect. Kuon would be able to do this last acting assignment and of course nothing would happen to him if Kuu were there. Also, this was a way of Kuon saying goodbye to everyone and he'd be doing it with his father.

"That's good, isn't it?" Kyoko asked and Kuon nodded, his eyes didn't meet hers and Kyoko knew that there was something wrong. She hummed and Kuon dragged his hand through his hair once again. "Isn't it?"

"I'm sorry," Kuon quickly apologized to her before smiling weakly, "It would have been good if Dad hadn't found out how sick I really am. The director knew and he thought that it was important that he let my coworker know that I have some rare sickness that isn't contagious but might need to be accommodated. I doubt he even thought about the possibility that -"

"That he was talking to a father about his son," Kyoko finished for him and Kuon nodded. She sighed and then reached for his hand, squeezing it and he looked away. He couldn't quite come to terms with the expression on his father's face and how he had had to leave the room. Maybe talking this over would be a better thing to do.

"Do you want me to call him for you?" Kyoko asked, she had often acted as the middleman to get the two of them able to talk with one another.

Kuon shook his head, "I think it would be best if I called him to talk. Maybe we could invite him round for dinner."

Kyoko smiled brightly, the enthusiasm obvious. "I'll cook. It'll be great to see him again," she announced and Kuon nodded. At least he was a little happier by seeing how eager she was. She loved Kuu as much as he did but this would be a time when he would have to leave both of them. Maybe having the family bonds a little more snug right now would be best for everyone.

…..

…

Kuu took a deep breath as he tried to focus on what he could do that would benefit the project that he and Kuon would be working on. He had to do this right. If he was in Kuon's shoes right now then he would want to give the audience the best he could for them to remember him. This was a gift that he could give to his son despite the pain that it was inflicting upon him.

Kuu tried to pull up some information on the Tokyo area where they would be going to Tsukiji. Fortunately they were starting local. He would have to give this his best to be able to preserve his son's talent and skill. If only he could know the best way to take care of Kuon through this time. Kuu was about to check on what type of living conditions they could get when the phone rang and he picked it up.

He paled as he saw that it said 'Ren Tsuruga'. Nothing could prevent him from taking this call but he didn't know who he was addressing. Was this his costar or his son? He decided to keep it open for Kuon to decide what he wanted to do. "Hello."

"Hey," Kuon said nervously on the other end of the line.

There was complete silence between the two of them, neither of them wanting to take the responsibility of setting up the relationship between the two of them. Kuu looked at his feet trying to figure out how much time to give Kuon before he said anything. When Kuu was about to break the silence, Kuon breathed weakly.

"Dad?" he asked and Kuu lifted his head, his eyes widening.

"Kuon?" he asked and the younger actor pulled the phone to him. "Yeah, I'm…are you okay…"

"Dad," Kuon said nervously, "I've been living with this for a while. I shouldn't have hidden this from you and Mom, you've only ever wanted the best for me and for me to have a happy life. I should have been working with you and I'm sorry."

"There's nothing for you to -" Kuu started but Kuon cut him off.

"I should have told you that I had an illness that was going to kill me in less than a year. Thank you for agreeing to continue this project with me. I don't think I'll be able to come out as your son before I die but I am really grateful that you are with me on my final project," Kuon told him and Kuu hated hearing those words. His son wasn't even considering a world where he would continue to live.

"Let's forget about that," Kuu laughed nervously, "What do you know about Tsukiji?"

"Dad," Kuon persisted and Kuu took deep breaths in. He could talk about his illness if Kuon wanted to. If it would make his son better or happier then Kuu was willing to talk about anything but the thing was to keep motivated and to keep looking forwards.

"I mean, living in Japan you might think that you know all about Tsukiji," Kuu said and Kuon laughed awkwardly.

"Thank you," he said very weakly which made Kuu worry about how tired he sounded in his voice and whether that might be a clear indication of his illness. "Dad. I wanted to call to see if you wanted to join Kyoko and I for dinner tonight."

Kuu felt his heart pounding in his chest. He had waited so long for a dinner request but there might not be many left for them as a family.

"I'd love that," he replied but just like Kyoko, his thoughts and focus weren't traveling away from the desire for Kuon to keep on living.

 **End of Chapter Two**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter One**

H-Nala, Kaname671


	3. Chapter 3 - The Fish Market

**Chapter Three – The Fish Market**

Kuu watched Kyoko nervously in the kitchen as she prepared the dinner for them. He couldn't blame Kuon for being a bit distant with him, neither of them had known who they had been working with and it must have been hard for Kuon to even admit how his health was to himself. That was the most troubling component though. Something was wrong with Kuon's health and as much as Kuu wanted to help him, he couldn't perform miracles.

"Is there any special diet that he should stick to?" Kuu asked and Kyoko turned to him.

She looked down before shaking her head, "Nothing that will cure him," she told him and Kuu opened his mouth to protest. Kyoko shook her head, she knew what her father wanted to say and she had debated the subject with herself. Should she encourage Kuon to eat things that might increase the number of days that he was alive or should she let him enjoy the time that he had left. "I mean, he could be eating things that make his life lengthen days or even weeks but I don't want to look back and think that I led to him depriving himself of what he wanted."

Kuu paused before taking a slow breath in. He nodded. He could understand that but there had to be some cure or something, something to put it into remission.

"Do you think that us filming this is the best thing?" Kuu asked and Kyoko stared at him. She sighed.

"It's what he wants to do, I'm not going to stand in the way of it. As much as I want him home and safe, filming this – probably even more filming it with you – is something important to him, something that he wants to do. I don't know if I believe in an afterlife or not but I want to see him smile as much as possible. I don't want the end of his life to be filled with regret."

Kyoko took deep breaths in and out as she once again faced the idea of him dying. She had struggled to cope with it for a long time, ever since he had come to her and told her the truth about what was going to happen. She knew that she would be left alone with only the memory of him and after finally being able to not only be able to believe in love but trust that there was someone out there that loved her, it seemed a cruel trick of fate.

"I see your point," Kuu sighed. He closed his eyes before hearing Kyoko's sobs. He opened his arms for her and she walked into them, allowing him to wrap her up close to his chest. It reminded her so much of the times when Kuon had held her in the past.

At this point, Kuon appeared in the doorway but he watched the two of them silently, feeling guilty that he was the one to bring them into this kind of shared pain. If only he could have been healthy then he wouldn't have to see them suffer. He looked down, trying hard to not feel that pain that came from watching the two of them and knowing that there was no magic wand that he could wave and make things better.

"So, did you want for me to open a bottle of wine. I won't be drinking any but…did you want any?" Kuon asked Kuu and he looked at his son. So, he wasn't supposed to be having alcohol? It made sense. Kuu shook his head.

"I'm fine," he told him and Kuon nodded slowly.

"Listen, whatever you think is happening, this isn't something that you caused," Kuon told him and Kuu could tell by the way that he was speaking, it was something that he had to repeat to Kyoko a lot. Did the young woman really believe that she was the cause of all of this.

"I know," Kuu said wanting to reassure his little boy that it would be okay. It was an impossible task. What he could do was what Kyoko had just suggested, he could give his son the happiest time possible during his remaining time in this life.

…..

…

Kuu looked up at the sky where it was still very early in the morning and the rain was starting to fall down. In his mind, he was trying to figure out how he could refuse to film in the wet weather. It was cold and wet and anyone who had any kind of sickness was at a disadvantage out here. Couldn't he tell them that he was a diva and had weather conditions that he couldn't shoot in.

Kuu had arrived extremely early, wanting to make it before his son. He knew that Kuon was going to arrive early and so had wanted to beat him. He shook his head. No, the previous night he had had dinner with Kuon and Kyoko but this wasn't Kuon Hizuri, this was Ren Tsuruga. He needed to train himself again to treat his dying son as a relative stranger.

"Sorry I'm late," Ren said as he came over to them and the director shook his head.

"You're not late, Tsuruga-san," he said as he got up and Ren smiled in relief as Kuu watched him cautiously. "You're actually early. Have you two been here before?" he asked and Kuu chuckled as Ren turned to him.

"I have," he nodded and Ren shook his head.

"This is my first time but I've been reading up on it," he said and the director nodded. He looked at Ren cautiously wondering if he was warm enough even though he was wearing both a sweater and a jacket. He actually looked very well put together despite the rain and so did Kuu. This was going to be a good shoot for all involved.

"I think we have some light by the auction," he said and then handed Ren and Kuu scripts for them to look over. "I'm sorry I couldn't get these to you last night," he apologized and both actors shook their head, a little uncomfortable because of the apology.

"Don't worry, we're both professionals," Ren smiled and Kuu watched him before nodding.

"We'll be able to get these lines memorized in about five minutes, maybe ten," he said as he looked through the script. It was information that he already knew about the history of the fish auction and how much the fish were priced at. He could see that Ren had the bulk of the information but that was because he would later be the person talking about the food being served. The roles fit well but Kuu was wondering if this was too much of a strain upon his son.

"I think this is a great starting point for the show," Ren nodded. "Are we doing this live?" he asked and the director shook his head.

"No, we need to get it edited today though since we'll be airing it tomorrow. We're really counting on you to be able to deliver the lines and give a great experience," he told them and Kuu nodded. He would usually talk more to the director, try to engage in a conversation but he was worried about the younger actor next to him. This was his dying son and it was cold and wet and that might worsen his illness but he had worked so hard to get to this point, would Kuon forgive him for disrupting the shoot?

"Okay, let's go over to set," the director said as he gestured for them to move.

Ren started to follow them but Kuu watched him nervously. He should have a hat on, he shouldn't be exposing his body to these conditions, he understood and respected his work ethic but there were too many dangers. Would Kyoko ever forgive him if Kuon were to get sick? He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Are you sure that you're going to be okay?" Kuu asked him in a way that nobody else would be able ot hear what the two of them said to one another.

Ren turned to him and nodded, "Don't worry. I've memorized more lines in less amount of time, I should be ready to go as soon as the director calls go," he said and Kuu looked away.

"You _know_ that's not what I'm asking," Kuu commented and Ren stared at him.

"I do know that but I need for you to be more of my coworker and less of my father," he said as he made sure that there was no chance of people picking up on that. He took a couple of steps ahead of Kuu despite it maybe seeming disrespectful and Kuu watched him go. He wanted to protect his son like the father that he should have been all along. It was too late to do that.

…..

….

At the end of the shoot, Kuu was very impressed by his son who managed to act as if there wasn't anything wrong at all with him. They had interviewed people, talked about the history of Tsukiji, and tried various fish dishes. Kuon had managed to hide it all from the director and they had allowed Kuu to take the leftovers from the meal home.

He could offer some to Kuon to share with Kyoko, they were very good dishes that had a luxury gourmet taste, Kyoko would probably have been worried all day so it was good for her to know that things had gone well with the shoot. Kuu felt that he was alone watching Ren though because at the back of his mind the entire day, he had realized that this was his dying son who didn't have too much more of his life to live.

Kuu knocked on the trailer door and then found it to be open a crack. He went inside and saw Kuon asleep on the small bed still in the same clothes but with an animal pillow under his head. He hadn't expected to see him with that type of a pillow. He walked over but Kuon seemed completely asleep.

Kuu knelt down in front of his son and pushed some of the hair out of his face realizing how wet it was. He put a hand on Kuon's forehead, just as he had done when his son was a small boy. The heat seemed unnaturally and Kuu's breath quickened. He reached out for his phone before Kuon grabbed his wrist.

"Don't call, I'm awake," he said before sitting up slowly and put a hand to his forehead. He was obviously hurt and Kuu twitched, his natural response was to call for a medic. "I'm okay," Kuon said before rubbing his throat. The shoot was a bad idea, Kuu shouldn't have agreed to let them do it. Kuon was getting an infection and having an infection would shorten his life even further.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this anymore," Kuu said and Kuon shook his head.

"Please don't tell me that," he said with a deep sigh, his chest feeling like it was hurting and his breaths getting shorter and shallower. "Don't tell me that," he repeated and Kuu watched him. "Anything but that."

"It's that important to you," Kuu said nervously. What was most important to him was his son's life and keeping Kuon with them as long as they possibly could. He agreed that there wasn't too much of a point of increasing Kuon's lifespan but they definitely shouldn't be decreasing it.

"Yes," Kuon nodded as Kuu blinked at him confused, "Yes. It _is_ that important."

 **End of Chapter Three**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Two**

Brennakai, H-Nala, Kaname671, PaulaGaTo


	4. Chapter 4 - Consequences of Good News

**Chapter Four – Consequences of Good News**

Kyoko sat quietly in the LME agency building. She was supposed to be concentrating on her own roles but she kept thinking about Kuon and whether this trip was really okay for him. He had told her that he had a doctor's appointment that morning and was attempting to withhold that information from Kuu. Kyoko wanted to tell him that it was probably for the best that Kuu was kept aware of the situation but it had taken him such a long time to think about how to tell his parents the news.

Even though the public knew about her relationship with Ren, they didn't know about him being Kuon. They didn't know about him being a Hizuri. In fact, he would most likely die before he could even propose to her and then marry her like she actually dreamed about. She hadn't allowed herself to have those dreams before dating him and now it was as if she would never get it. Hope wasn't very kind to her.

She tried not to cry as she looked out of the window. She remembered when she had stayed outside for hours for a chance to join the agency. She remembered how Ren hadn't liked her during that times because her reason wasn't something that he found tolerable. Fortunately she had dropped the Corn stone. Fortunately fate had put them together again.

Would there ever come another girl that would kneel outside for hours wanting for a chance to make it big in the industry and would she ever interact with them and become a role model to them like Ren had been to her. With tears in her eyes she shivered and pushed her head to her knees, her arms pulling them close to her chest as she felt like a small child.

As she sat there, feeling the gloom surrounding her, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. It felt comforting but it felt different than Moko-chan. Moko would have said something to her. She looked up and blinked back her tears as she saw Yashiro standing there. He had been a good friend to the both of them and he was as worried about Kuon as she was.

"Are you okay?" he asked and Kyoko nodded. She didn't feel as if she had any right to give away Ren's secrets, his multiple secrets. "Is it about Ren's condition? I don't really know that much about what's going on but if you need somebody to talk to then I'm here for you."

Kyoko looked at him and blinked back tears. She felt selfish about this but it wasn't as if it was Kanae that she was telling and she trusted Yashiro, he was good at keeping secrets and maybe he could provide Kuon with some help. "Do you promise not to tell anyone?" she asked as she stared at him with the same determination that she put into every aspect of her life. Yashiro nodded in a professional manner and Kyoko looked at him resting her cheek on her knee as she looked up at him.

"Ren has a tumor," she said as she brought her fingers to the side of her head, "Right about here. They say he's got an untreatable case of brain cancer," she sobbed as Yashiro turned to her horrified. He had known that Ren had been ill but he hadn't known it would be life threatening. "The doctors say he might only have a few more months to live and they don't know how to treat it. You won't tell him you know, right?" she almost begged and Yashiro nodded slowly but his face was still of the deepest shock.

"Of course not," he told her and Kyoko smiled weakly. She felt guilty about telling Yashiro but she didn't want to hold it in any longer and Yashiro wouldn't do anything bad with this information. He would use it for Ren's benefit, to help him. That's all she wanted from the people who spent time with the man she loves.

Just as Yashiro was about to speak, Kyoko heard her phone ring and pulled it out. It was the special ringtone that she had for Ren. She looked to Yashiro who nodded and gestured for her to step to a more secluded place to take the call. Kyoko bowed quickly before leaving.

"Hi, Corn," she said as she answered the phone. She heard shaky breaths on the other side of the line and grew pale. He had his doctors appointment just now. Did something bad happen? Would she have to convince him to stop the show? "Corn, sweetheart?" she whispered trying to calm him down. "What happened? Can you tell me what happened?"

"They say that there might be a cure, something expensive and experimental," he said, acting as if it was a bad thing that he was telling her. Kyoko gasped, releasing a small laugh of joy. Even if it was only a chance it was something better than what they had been dealing with.

"Corn, that's wonderful," she said but heard his slow sigh. He sounded tense and as if this was negative news. He could live. If he worked hard he could live. "Do you need to quit the show?" she asked, guessing that that was why he was disappointed.

"You may not want to be with me _if I_ _do_ do the treatment," he told her and Kyoko blinked. What did he mean 'if'. There shouldn't be an 'if' in this particular situation. He should be making plans to have it done. He should have made a payment plan before he called her. What was he talking about? Yes, even if it took all of his money, money didn't matter as much as his life. Would it leave a scar? Scars could be covered with makeup and surgery and even if this particular one couldn't, she didn't fall for him because of the way he looked, she loved the person he was in his heart and mind, the true fairy prince.

"Why do you say that?" she asked and heard another labored breath. "Ren," she said as she looked around to make sure that nobody was listening. "I will always want to be with you. You're so much better than Fuwa."

"The treatment has a probability of significantly making me disabled," he told her and Kyoko paused not sure how to respond to that. What did he mean? Would it take away his sight or his hearing abilities. Would it do something to the physical condition of his body? "They did some trial runs of the drugs and it severely impacted the intelligence and mental abilities of the subjects. It also made them more nervous and reserved. I don't…"

Kyoko clutched to the phone, now understanding what he was saying. She felt tears in her eyes. She loved the long discussions that they would have, his sense of humor, the way he spoke and helped her. She had always turned to him for guidance. She tried hard to hold back a sob. "That's not the only reason I love you," she told him not denying that it was one of the reasons. "I love how kind you are. How you've always supported me. I love you so much for loving me, you understand me, you accept my faults and flaws. You don't know how much just being there with you and you holding my hand or hugging me means to me," she sniffed hating that she showed this weakness in her speech. "How about memories? Did they say anything abou-"

"The test subjects all seemed to retain their memories," Ren told her and she smiled weakly. "Isn't it better just to die than to become someone like that. I don't want to rely on other people. I don't want to imagine myself that way, isn't that worse than death?"

Kyoko shook her head. She understood what he was saying but she wanted him alive. He wouldn't forget about her, he'd just be different in some ways but she would take care of him. She would do whatever she could to provide for both of them. Kuu and Julie would never ever shut him out or turn him away. They had money and a home and they would be there for him.

"Can you do me a favor?" she asked, "Two favors?"

Ren paused, he choked back his sadness but it was still audible, "Yeah?" he asked her and Kyoko dried her eyes.

"First, will you consider it? Please?" she begged, "I want to be with you. I need you to be alive so that I can get married to you. Please?" she asked and Ren sighed.

"I'll consider it," he told her and Kyoko tried to brush away her tears. "What's the other?"

"Talk to your dad about this?" she asked him. She heard his hesitation and knew that he wanted to tell her that he couldn't do it. She spoke quickly, afraid to hear him argue or tell her no. She needed for him to think clearly about this. "Your dad has always kept your secret, he didn't make contact with you for so long because he wanted to keep the truth hidden. He's smart and considerate and I know he'll listen, when I was assigned to help him, he always listened to me and if you tell him that you need him to listen without saying anything, I know he'll do it. He'll at least help you make a decision. Your father loves you unconditionally, it's one of the things I know most about him. We both love you, Ren" she said with another sob. "You don't have to take his advice or have him push you into anything that you don't want to do but can you talk with him?"

Ren hesitated again, he took a deep breath in as Kyoko clutched the phone to her ear, "Okay. I'll do it but only because you're the one who's asking," he said and Kyoko sniffed.

"Thank you," she told him.

…

…

Kuu sat in front of the TV watching an episode of Dark Moon. He watched his son's acting, noting how his body language fit with the scene and his dialogue. He was really living in his acting but would this soon be all that was left of his kid? Would it just be things like this, memories where he wouldn't age and he wouldn't have a chance to get older? Kuu felt useless as a father, if he could only do something to find a cure for Kuon, a treatment he would do it for him. All he could do was continue this TV show with Kuon. That was what Kuon had asked him for so he should honor that wish.

Kuu paused as he heard a knock on the door. Was that room service? He stood from the bed and walked over to the door, not checking who was on the other side which was probably the wrong decision for a celebrity. He stopped as he saw the brunette actor standing there looking defeated. Had something happened? "Tsuruga-san?" Kuu asked with a bow as all he wanted to do was reach out and pull his kid into his arms. "Did something happen?"

"May I have a word with you in private, Hizuri-san?" Ren said with a deeper bow and Kuu immediately stood to make way for him. He would always try to help his son however he could even if they had to act like strangers. Kuu watched as Ren just stood in the room. Something had happened. Something must have happened to create this type of situation.

"Did you want something to drink? Maybe something to eat?" Kuu asked in a panicked tone and Ren turned to him.

"If you have some tea that would be nice," he said and Kuu went to prepare it. As he was doing so, Ren looked at the desk in the room and saw a large piece of paper rolled out on it. He went over and saw that all the places where they would be travelling for the TV show were there and around those spots were highlighted areas, Ren looked closer at it. All of the highlighted areas were of hospitals or medical centers. He saw numerous lists of all these places in a notebook arranged by city.

As Kuu came back, he saw Ren staring at the book. "I'm sorry. I worry and I want to be prepared if anything happens," he tried to explain it to him. Ren nodded shakily, his palm stretched out over the book. "It's not that I don't trust you to make your own decis-"

"You think I'm stupid, don't you!?" Ren said as he closed his eyes and bowed his head, Kuon seeping through and leaving Kuu off guard. What had happened?

"I don't think you're stupid," he said before watching him. Was this part of being Ren Tsuruga or was something else happening? "Ren?" he asked, wanting to see his face. He wanted to know who he was dealing with here. How he would act towards Kuon and how he would act towards Tsuruga Ren were different.

"That's all I would be to you right, a stranger? You'd be embarrassed to call some mentally challenged joke your son. You'd just make me go through with it and then abandon me all over again." He said and Kuu paused, moving the tea to the side to give Kuon a little more space. This _was_ Kuon wasn't it?

"Kuon?" Kuu asked slowly as he saw his son in a manner that he hadn't been in for a long time. This type of distress was similar to the kind he had been through following Rick's death…okay that time had been a lot worse because he kept calling himself a murderer and had kept a strange belief that if he died then Rick would come back to life. Still, he didn't seem the composed Tsuruga Ren. "You're Kuon aren't you?"

"Does it even matter to you who I am!?" Kuon barked at him before starting to sob in an unexpected manner that was making it so Kuu was struggling with deciding what to do. "All you want is some perfect son. You always talk about the son you imagine but not the son who's there. You don't want some twisted mental case as your son and you don't want some childish idiot as your son either! All you want is the perfect son."

Kuu did the only thing he could think of doing and went over to Kuon, wrapping his arms around Kuon and pulling him in tightly. He felt Kuon struggle but kept holding him until his son was crying and breaking like a small child. Something had happened. Something had gone wrong. Was it to do with Kyoko? Had he done something foolish like broken up with her thinking it was for her own good?

"It's okay," he told his son, "It's okay. I'm here. You don't have to be Tsuruga Ren right now," he tried to reassure him. "I love you, Kuon. You're my only son and I don't know what you're talking about but I promise you, I have never ever stopped loving you and I will never ever stop. I'm just not able to do so."

"Even if I have mental difficulties?" Kuon asked as he remained in his father's arms, knowing at that moment just how much he had missed being held in this manner.

Kuu shook his head, "No. I will never stop loving you," he promised. "I don't know why you're calling yourself stupid though. You've always been incredibly smart. You always passed tests really easily when you were a kid. What happened? Who made you feel -"

"I don't want to be stupid," Kuon said as he finally turned away.

Kuu blinked, he took the cup of tea and offered it to Kuon. "Why do you keep saying that?" he asked before seeing how exhausted Kuon was. He didn't understand what was happening.

 **End of Chapter Four**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Three

H-Nala, Kaname671


	5. Chapter 5 - A Dad's Love

**Chapter Five – A Dad's Love**

"Why do you keep saying that?" Kuu asked and Kuon looked down at the desk in the hotel room before he closed his eyes and his hand clenched tightly around the edge of the desk. It didn't slip Kuu's notice and he put a hand very gently on Kuon's back. Kuon was having difficulty with something and although Kuu wanted nothing more than to support his son, he needed some help in doing that. He needed to know what was going on inside Kuon's mind.

"I'm sorry," Kuon replied as he took deep breaths in. "I shouldn't be telling you this. It was Kyoko's idea for me to come here and I shouldn't….this shouldn't…"

"It's about your health, isn't it?" Kuu asked. It was an obvious question, of course it couldn't be about anything else but Kuu had no idea what was going on. Had Kuon or Ren or whoever he wanted to call himself down something that hurt his condition?

"You don't want a son that you're not proud of!" Kuon yelled at him and Kuu blinked. Why wouldn't he be proud of Kuon? Even if Kuon worked at a fast food restaurant and wasn't famous at all, he'd still be proud of him. His love was unconditional and although it hurt him that Kuon had kept something so important as a brain cancer from him, Kuu wanted to learn as much about his son as he could.

"I have you as my son. I love you unconditionally. Why don't you tell me what's going on?" Kuu tried to coax Kuon but he sat down on the floor knowing he was acting immature. If he really was Ren Tsuruga then this would be burdening Kuu, this would be acting in a strange way that the older actor wouldn't know how to handle.

"There's a possible cure for my illness," Kuon said and Kuu paused. His breath caught in his throat. A cure? That was what he had been hoping for, some way of extending Kuon's life no matter what the price of it was. He didn't care about expenses, he needed his son to be alive. "There's a treatment for it but….but it's probably better that I was dead."

Kuu sighed. He sat on the floor opposite Kuon so he could look him face to face. "I know that these treatments are sometimes harsh but isn't it better to do anything to live the type of life that you want to?" Kuu asked and Kuon sighed as he looked away. That wouldn't be the type of life that he desired to live. He didn't want to live a life where his brain had been operated on meaning that he would have to depend on others to live this type of a normal life.

"They would have to operate on my brain," Kuon pointed. "They don't know enough about the human brain that they can do it without risk. The risk in this case is…if they operate on my brain there is a huge chance that it will decrease my mental processes."

Kuu paused and nodded as he listened to this. So that was why Kuon had been scared that he would be considered unintelligent and Kuu had to agree, it was a scary thought and one he was glad that he didn't have to decide for himself. He looked down not sure what to say. Should he be selfish and tell Kuon that he wanted him to have the treatment or should he continue to be silent and listen to his reasons. Right now, Kuu felt that Kuon would try to give any reason as to why it would not be in anyone's best interests for him to live.

The two sat there silently for a while and Kuon looked up at Kuu who was waiting for him to speak but whenever he was ready for it. Kuon looked away and took a deep breath in, "So?" he asked him and Kuu blinked as he watched him and gave a weak smile. "What would you pick?"

"Kuon," Kuu said as he stood and went to fetch his son some water. "What my thoughts on this are it doe-"

"You mean that _I_ don't matter?" Kuon asked as he wrapped an arm around himself and Kuu shook his head. He could see Kuon as broken and twisted as he had always claimed to have become following Rick's passing. He handed him the cup of water and gestured for him to sit down. Kuon got up slowly and went to sit at the chair next to the desk whilst Kuu sat on the mattress.

"Of course you matter to me," Kuu said in a firm voice. "You matter more to me than anyone, you and your mother are my most important people despite this gap between us. I also know that I wasn't a good father to you and so all I can say is that I want to support you in whatever decision you care to make."

"You mean that you want me to try the treatment?" Kuon asked as he looked away. He didn't want to see a change in his personality and he didn't want to pressure Kyoko to stay with him if there were complications with the treatment. He wanted to be himself, the person who he had struggled to become and the life that he had fought for. To lose that and to experience that loss seemed scarier than death and what if he needed to be cared for afterwards, what would that type of a life feel like. He could only imagine the worst scenarios.

Kuu took a deep breath as he watched him. "To be honest, yes," he admitted and Kuon bowed his head. "Am I supposed to say something different. You are my son, my child, all I want is for you to be able to survive. So yes, I would prefer that you took the treatment but it's not up to me. If you don't want to do it then I won't force you and I'll try to take care of you whilst your health decreases."

Kuon knew that Kuu was trying to be supportive despite how that last part had come out. He felt guilty about that. Yes, his health would get worse and he would die and his father would be around to experience that but he was scared of losing control over hi own life. "What about the other factor involved?" he asked and Kuu blinked, trying to think about it. Kyoko. Well, Kyoko would do what she did and if she turned away from Kuon then she wasn't worthy of him. He obviously loved her but sometimes love didn't survive certain obstacles.

"Mom," Kuon said and Kuu looked at him surprised.

"Your mother?" he asked and Kuon nodded. Kuu turned to his son. "The decision is yours in the end, all we can do is support you with your choice whatever choice you feel most comfortable making however, your mother and I will always be here to support you. You don't have to worry about your mother. Our love for you won't change _ever_."

Kuon sighed before nodding, "The second episode is in Harajuku, right?" he asked and Kuu felt a little taken aback by the change of topic but he nodded. "I'll hopefully be able to make my decision after we've filmed that episode."

….

…..

The episode that was filmed in Harajuku was full of new fashion trends and new flavors. That was really the highlight of the city. Harajuku had been one of the fashion trendy places in the world and definitely in Japan. People would also keep staring at the two of them. Ren had become used to people gossiping about him each time he appeared in one of the regular Japanese cities but it seemed different now that he was joined by Shuuhei Hozu. What made Ren happiest though was how, despite the previous day's talk, the two of them were able to hide any discomfort in their expressions due to their professionalism.

"Kuu, I know that you love crepes but maybe you could comment on this new dark chocolate pudding crepe," the director said as the owner of the small crepe restaurant was making sure to ready herself to be put onto camera. Ren bowed his head before turning to the director.

"After we've shot this part, there's a restaurant that I'd like you to consider before we leave the Tokyo area," he said and Kuu watched him for a moment. There was a place that Kuon really liked to eat at. He was curious what kind of cuisine was served to the boy who was force fed with tears in his eyes that he actually enjoyed eating.

"Of course, let us know, we'll most likely be able to fit it in," the director said before looking at the shops. They had also done a short segment with Ren trying on some of the new fashions despite some of it spoiling his cool guy image. They had tried to be selective so that every shot of Ren wasn't to embarrass him but some of the fashion trends were a little wacky and they had found that out when Ren had worn a bunny hood and big fluffy bunny gloves. Still, maybe the female audience would think that he looked adorable.

"Before we shoot though," the director said as he turned to Kuu. "I've actually learned that you have a son but he hasn't been in the media for a long time. I'm surprised that the American media don't write about him more often but then you never hear about the children of some celebrities," he said before listing a few and Kuu laughed weakly.

"Sorry, there are some things that my son wants to keep private," he said as Ren felt a cold chill down his spine.

"Since this is a family place, do you think you could talk about how the experience of sharing a treat with your child feels," the director said and Ren turned to look at Kuu. He wasn't a fan of sweet treats and of course the director didn't know that but Kuu had always said that he didn't want to lie about the experiences he had had with Kuon. How would that make the segment look if he mentioned that Kuon didn't eat many sweet foods.

Ren turned to look at the crepes and smiled, "It looks like they do more than sweet things though. Chicken and Beef as well and tempura, some savory things as well," he said and Kuu turned to him with a smile.

"Yes. My son really did tend to like chicken dishes, it was….really sweet actually," Kuu laughed. He turned to Kuon. He hadn't known how Brian, the chicken that Kuon had randomly just started to own when he was about thirteen, had come into their lives but he wouldn't have to lie about Kuon having a sweet tooth that he didn't actually possess.

As they were getting ready to start filming, Ren felt his attention drawn to another group of customers at the same crepe stand. He saw a little boy of about four years of age eating a crepe as he sat with his father. He had a grin over his face which was covered with ice cream. "Wooow!" the little boy laughed and his father picked up a damp cloth to clean his face. "So yummy."

"It was yummy, wasn't it?" the father asked and the little boy nodded eagerly.

Ren watched them with a weak smile on his face before turning back to his father. His dad had always _wanted_ to take care of him even if things had turned out so that Kuon would get forgotten. His dad had always been his hero and he had never given up on him. Was that enough to go for the treatment knowing that he'd have to rely on his family. He wasn't sure.

 **End of Chapter Five**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Four

H-Nala, Kaname671


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